Glorious £25m Student Centre to be built on Bloomsbury campus

A state of the art £25 million building is set to occupy the site on Gordon Street next to the Bloomsbury Theatre.

The brand new student centre was commissioned this week and is set to feature 1,000 study spaces spread over six floors alongside a student enquiries centre, a cafe, and a space for exhibitions.

Surveys and workshops, which have been running since 2012, have contributed heavily to the project’s development meaning the space should cater to students wants sand needs.

The student centre, which is set to open in August 2018, has been designed by the esteemed Nicholas Hare architects who were responsible for projects such as the Royal Opera house extension, the London Film School and a number of other university-based projects.

With the ever-growing number of societal endeavours throughout UCL, alongside the merger with the Institute of Education in the last academic year, more space for activities and showcases is greatly needed.

UCL Estates director Andrew Grainger told The Construction Index, “the new Student Centre is a flagship development within our estate transformation programme, which exemplifies UCL’s commitment to be good custodians of this fine heritage estate in central London.

“This last undeveloped brownfield site in the heart of Bloomsbury will be transformed into a centre for student learning for the benefit of students and the wider public.

“The new building will showcase quality architecture and our commitment to improving the public realm across our campus.”

History fresher Josh Britton was concerned about the construction, saying, “It looks like a building from 1984.

“One of the best things about UCL is the historic buildings, so I don’t think students would chose this building over others already in the area.”